1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a microwave oven, particularly to a microwave oven which drives microwave heating means based on cooking information inputted by an input operating unit.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, foods exclusive for a microwave oven have been widely distributed in market, such as frozen foods or the like that are heated and cooked by the microwave oven. On a package of these foods, there is displayed a cooking information indicating standards in heating and cooking the foods by the microwave oven. The cooking information indicates output of a microwave oven and cooking time such as, for example, "cooking is carried out by setting the output to "LOW" and heating for 3 minutes" or "cooking is carried out by heating for 3 minutes at a set output value of 600 W" and so on. However, there is a case where a user of the microwave oven is not aware of rated output of the microwave oven used or a case where the user is not aware of respective output values of "HIGH" or "LOW" to be set.
Further, with the wide distribution of foods exclusive for a microwave oven, the microwave oven becomes high-powered and even a microwave oven having an output of about 500 W to a power exceeding 1 KW is on the market. Accordingly, when heating and cooking are carried out without being aware of output of a microwave oven used, it is unavoidable that excessive heating or insufficient heating is brought about.
Accordingly, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. JP-A-3(1991)-159094, a control unit sets heating/cooking time period in accordance with rated output of a microwave oven by newly correcting it on the basis of such information inputted from an input operating unit and instructs to drive the microwave supplying unit in compliance with the set heating/cooking time period. In this way, even when cooking output information displayed on a food differs from the rated output of a microwave oven used, excessive heating or insufficient heating can be prevented.
However, according to a microwave oven having the above-described control unit, when inputted cooking time information is displayed at the input operating unit and thereafter, the display is abruptly changed to display of cooking time period obtained by the correction, there is a concern where a user mistakenly determines that the microwave oven has failed.